The present invention relates to fishing lures and especially to those fishing lures for use in plug or spin casting. More specifically, the present invention relates to those fishing lures that by a simple adjustment can be made to either float on the water or dive.
In the past, a great variety of artificial fishing baits and lures have been available. Many of these prior art lures have attempted to imitate frogs, birds, bugs, flies, worms, and other live bait. These and other prior art lures have used propellers, spinners and wheel-type devices as well as wobble plates to produce motion in the water or sounds for attracting the attention of the fish, or imitating the motion of a live bait in the water. Many prior art lures are designed to float on and near the surface of the water while other prior art lures are specifically made to dive to the bottom or below the surface of the water. This is generally accomplished by the bouyancy of the lure, but it has also been suggested to have lips or spoons to catch the water as the lure is pulled through it to force the lure to dive as it is pulled through the water.
Typical prior art in this area includes the Peterson U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,109, which illustrates the lure having an adjustable point for connecting the line to adjust the balance of the lure along with an adjustable lip and ballast for controlling the path of the lure. The Smith U.S. Pat. No. 2,883,786, has adjustable surfaces along with an angled belly surface as does the Suick U.S. Pat. No. 2,525,733. The Knapton Lure illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,205,609, has a detachable weight for adjusting the weight of the lure, while the Prieur lure in Pat. No. 2,598,012 has an angled forward body surface along with a line connection along the top portion of the lure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,044,207 to Dorsett, and Thurman, U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,725, illustrate lures having shiftable weights inside the lure body and U.S. Pat. Nos. to Poe, 2,944,363; Reynolds, 1,200,135; and Watts, 3,858,344, show patents having adjustable lips or surfaces to control the movement of the lure. The present lure, on the other hand, includes a weight that is shifted by the user to make the lure a floating or diving lure and includes an adjustable lip portion to control the depth of the dive, which features are combined with a shiftable hook and interchangeable tail portion, which through a simple spring action, allows tails of pork rind or other materials to be quickly attached to the lure.